Display rack for bottled goods



May 5, 1953 L. w. PATTERSON 2,637,445

DISPLAY RACK FOR BOTTLED GOODS Fil ejd Jan. 25, 1952' Patented May 5,1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY RACK FOR BOTTLED GOODS LawrenceW. Patterson, Santa Ana, Calif.

Application January 25, 1952, Serial No. 268,287

This invention relates to merchandising racks and more particularlyrelates to a stand or rack for displaying and merchandising bottledgoods, canned goods, and like articles having rigidity and uniformity ofshape and height.

A disadvantage common to most display racks for bottled merchandise isthat-if they are portable, which is highly desirable--they areexcessively heavy and provided with all sorts of devices for preventingthe merchandise from toppling and rolling while the racks are beingwheeled or otherwise transported from one location to another. It is anobject of this invention to provide a light, portable rack which soholds the merchandise and is so held by the merchandise that rack andmerchandise together form a substantially rigid mass which may bewheeled about or jolted without breakage or dislocation of the displayedgoods.

A particular advantage of my invention lies in connection with thedisplay of bottled goods in small merchandising units. Many bottledgoods are now packed in light un-covered cardboard containers,containing perhaps half a dozen bottles and spoken of as HandypackCartons. However, in self-service stores, a customer need not take afull carton but may remove one or two bottles as needed, and in time alarge number of these cartons become partly emptied, so that the effectis lost of the merchandising suggestion that the customer take a fullhalf-dozen bottles. Some stores attempt to sell Handypacks only as fullunits, but either as a result of pilferage or of less-than-unit sales,broken packs occur frequently and incite further pilferage or furthersmall sales. This is particularly true when, in order to impresscustomers with large displays, goods are made available at a pluralityof levels, as in pyramids or on a number of vertically arranged shelves.One of the objects of my invention is to make available to the customeronly a limited number of these Handypack cartons at any one time, yet topermit a large volume of merchandise to be present and on display, andto have a fresh supply of full cartons or like containers automaticallyavailable when a previous limited supply has been exhausted.

Another object of my invention is to provide a light rack of skeletonstructure which will afford visibility to a large amount of merchandiseand yet hold the goods firmly in a mutually supporting mass so as toavoid breakage.

The invention possesses other useful features which will be pointed outas the following description of a presently preferred embodiment of theinvention proceeds, or which will be apparent from said descriptionconsidered together with the accompanying related drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a display rack 5 Claims. (Cl. 211-74)showing bottled good in position on the base and on a lower separator ofthe rack; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, showing additional upper separatorsin a raised position assumed by the separators when not occupied.

Having reference to the details of the drawing, my invention comprises aplatform 3 preferably mounted on casters 4, for portability, and a backframe 5 secured rigidly to the platform and extending upwardly from oneend thereof. At spaced intervals corresponding to the height of thebottles 6 to be displayed, or to the combined height of the bottles andthe cartons I if such group containers are to be used, the back-frame 5is provided with horizontal transverse bars 8. One or more vertical bars9 are also provided, not only to brace the back frame but to provideanchorage for springs H1.

The horizontal bars 8 serve as hinge-pins upon which tray-frames llfunctioning as separators between tiers of goods disposed on the rackare hinged for vertical arcuate movement. The tray-frames II have anopen grid-work form, each comprising a rim member l2 and a plurality ofthin cross-members l3 extending transversely between opposite portionsof the rim member l2. Preferably the cross-members I3 extend from therear rims I4 of the tray frames ll, adjacent the back-frame 5, to theopposite or front rims of the tray-frames, so that the rearward ends oftwo or more of the cross-members [3 may be extended beyond the rear rimsI4 and coiled to form hinge rings l5 pivoted on the horizontal bars 8.The cross-members l3 are secured to the lower sides of the rim membersl2, so that the latter may act to retain merchandise disposed on thetrays. The springs Ill, anchored at their one ends to the vertical bars9, are also pivoted upon the bars 8 and have their other ends anchoredto the side portions of the rims l2, and urge the tray-frames II toswing upwardly to positions, shown in Fig. 2, in planes adjacent to thevertical plane of the back-frame 5.

It will be seen that while the back-frame 5 affords a mechanical stop tothe upward swinging of the tray-frames II, no in-built mechani-- calstop is provided to limit the downward swinging of the tray-frames toposition below the horizontal. However, when the rack is loaded,downward movement of the tray-frames H is limited to the horizontal bythe bottles of the lower tiers, such being made possible by spacing thecross-members I3 at intervals coinciding with the spacing of the bottles6, which are arranged as illustrated in front-to-back rows. If thebottles are to be stacked individually, the crossmembers I3 are spacedequally to the diameter of the bottles, and hence to the center lines ofthe rows of the bottles, and may be of sufficient width to providestability for a bottle centered thereon. If the bottles are stacked incartons,

the cross members [3 may be narrow rods, but

again spaced and arranged to over-lie and under-lie the center lines ofthe rows of the bottles, allowing for the thickness of the eard boardwalls of the cartons. The horizontal bars 8 and hinge rings are arrangedto permit the tray-frames H to attain the horizontalcat .verticalintervals corresponding to the "height "of the bottles 6 or the combinedheight or the bottles 13 and cartons I, and the cross-members l 3 willthen rest upon the tops of the bottles' beneath them. Thus a verticalseries of compartments islformed, each compartment of the exact heightrequired itocontainthe bottles. lltioreover, since the tray"framesilunction solely as load-transmitting separators-between adjacentupper and under tiers o'fjth'e' bottles, all the bottles below theupper-- most horizontal 'tray frame 'l l are iiirrrily held inasubstantially so'lid'ipackbythe weight of "the merchandise above them."With the .odttle's so f'hld vertically, they will .not or topple Whenthe 'rac'k is moved about .or is jolted At the same "time. the open grid"or skeleton form .ft'he tray-"frames i I ifpermit's good visibility ofthe merchandise supporting "the! uppermost thorizontal "trayframe I'Ihesprings "m are tension'ed to slight-1yovercome the 'wightof thetray-"frame .H to which they Tar'e attached, softhat they are counter--"balanced by the weight of "a :preol'eter ied unit ofmerchandise'restingup'on the true};-

the springs H) and the tray-frames ii are both pivoted on the horizontal.bars 6, the relative meehanioalfa'dvantage "of the "springs remainsconstant, and the force exerted 'may be calcn. lated as afunc'tion'ofthe springtension. Spiral springs of 'th'etypeshown may'be madeto'have substantially nonstant tension over considerably more than theninety degree angle ofmovement shown *to "be required, and *withconstant mechanical advantage "the "spring action may be madegentle fromthe=start of the upward move- *ment, ='ti 1e tray-frame rising gently toits vet-at cdl 1min, and uncovering the merchandise "the 'compartmeritnext below.

I wish itunderstood that modifications may be made in theform of myrak'without departure *from th'e spirit*of*my invention-anti t'hatd de-*sire to'-be-'protected in-mydmrention to the "full "scope of "the"novelty "set forth in the "appended craim's.

*1. Ara'ckfor'iii'splaying-and'lz tiedand like goods having 1 heightcomprising, in comb nation, abak frame extending upwardly fire-inLanedge \ot 'base and a separator member hinged to the *back iframe forvertical arercate. movement I above -and below the horizontal andserving, lwhen :supported in .therhorizontal plane by? goods disposedbelow same, ito itransmit lithe l'oad of goods :disposed thereon to th'egoods disposed below and thence 110 the base, and spring meansinterconmeeting the back fran e and separator me'rriher "for-urging thelatter upwardly toerposition adj'a'centthe back frame upon removal thelast unit of" goodsdisposed' on said separatormeniber.

Y2. A rack as "set'iorthin claim 1, wherein the tension of the springmeans is not substantially greater-than that required tosupport .theweight of the-separator memberLin the horizontal,plane, whereby saidmember moves upwardly at a.slow

-7mrchsntiisingbotdit anduniform the 4 rate upon removal of the lastunit of goods as aforesaid.

3. A rack for displaying and merchandising bottled and like goods havingrigidity and uniiorm heighticomprising, in combination, a base for-supporting =a lowermost tier -of the goods, a back frame extendingupwardly from an end of the base, and a plurality of separator membershinged to the back member for vertical arcuate movementaboveand belowthe horizontal and along horizontal hinge lines which are spaced fromthe supporting surface of the base and from one'anotheradistancecorresponding to the vertical :height of the goods, said separatormembers serving to retain goods disposed thereon in tiers and [totransmit the load of the upper-tiers to the under tiers and thence tothe base,';and

spring mean's i'interconnecting each of the sepaj rator members with the"back frame and being "operative to 'urgesa'id separator membersindividually toaupos'ition adjacent the back frame upon removal ofIthe'lastnnit -of Igoods'there'from. j '4. Arack for displaying andmerchandising Ibottled 'and'like -go'o'd's having rigidity and uniformheight comprising, in "combination, a base for supporting 'a1pluralityof the goods arranged thereonin 'front 'to-back'rows, a backframe'extendingzupwardly' fromthe back edge of the'base and including aplurality "of transverse "bars spaced frotnfthe supporting surface ofthe "base and from one another a distance "corresponding to "thevertical height "of the:goo'ds,':aplurality of "separator members hinged'to said "bars "for "vertical arcuate "movement above and belowthehorizontal, said separatoi mem'bers 'e'aohi'c'omprising a frame and "aplurality of cross'membersextending between the 'frontnnd "back sides ofthe frame andbeingspacedfromone'another'a distan'ce corresponding to thedistance "between the center lines of said rows, and -spring meansinterconne'cting "each of the separator members "and the'transverse barto whichdtis hingedfor urging "said separator members individually to"3, position adjacent "the back frame "upon re- "moval of the last'lunivo'f goods therefrom, 'the "construction and arrangement being suchthat saidcross m'embers'center' on the goods "disposed"immediatelyb'eneathsame andthereby'theseparator 'members serve totransmit the --load'o'f the goodsdisposedthereon in the-aforesaid rronttojback row arrangement to the go'o'ds "below "the same and' thenc'etothebase.

rack "as set forth inblalm 4, =viherin-the press-membersof 'e'ac'hseparator meniber are secured' to th'emnder s'ide 'of the frame 'thereof,whereby thelatterservesasa'retaining rim and *are-extended-"rearward1ybeyond the back side "o'f'the'frame and terniina'te in hinge rings which"are connected-to -one of said transverse bars "so as "to provide forthe vertical arcuate movement df=said separatormember as aioresaid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED "STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 208,668 Childs -i -Qct. 1,187.8 717,247 .McCaskey..-- H.1Dec. 3 0,v 1902 1,114,023 -Olney l -.Oc.t. :20, 41914 4360 309Marritts UMayIZ'Z, :1 930 .20564323 AHa-tch o Jan.-5, -1937 2,120,610Howard n Junei4,d938 2,319,872 Leonard sMa-y .25, .4943 2,444,776Kalning etlal. .Julyi6, L948 -.2 ,4 70,U54 .Schildmeier, May 10, 1949

